Richardson, speaking after the council's finance committee
Tuesday, said while he isn't necessarily in favor of the amended budget – and recently
questioned why a Mobile Fire-Rescue Department paramedics class would be
delayed this year – he wants to work with the administration "to help move the
city forward."

He also said that, after the city's auditor confirmed a $4.3 million deficit in the General Fund last week that Stimpson "has to amend the budget.
He has no choice."

But Richardson said any vote in favor of the amended budget
will come only after the administration allows the City Council to vote on the
addition of two new departments to the city's organizational chart: Planning
and Development and Information Technology.

Richardson, one of three members on the finance committee,
abstained from voting on a recommendation on whether the revised budget should
be approved when it goes before the full council next Tuesday. Councilman Joel
Daves and Councilwoman Bess Rich – the two other committee members – voted in
support of the amended budget.

"I abstained because the mayor put some things in the budget
that have not been approved by the council," Richardson said, referring to the
two new departments that were not part of the organizational structure under
former Mayor Sam Jones' administration. "He can have as many divisions as he
wants, but it has to be approved by the council."

The three-member Mobile City Council Finance Committee voted 2-0 on Tuesday, March 25, 2014, to recommend approval of the revised fiscal year 2014 budget. Voting in favor were Joel Daves and Bess Rich. Fred Richardson abstained from voting. The full council will vote on the revised budget during the council's April 1, 2014, meeting. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

Stimpson's chief of staff Colby Cooper said the
administration is working with council members on their last-minute concerns
before the amended budget is presented for a final vote on April 1.

Cooper, though, stopped short of saying whether the two
departments will be added to the agenda for a vote before the revised budget is
considered.

"We are working with the City Council to address their
concerns to make sure this administration is able to earn their support for our
organizational structure which brings efficiency and effectiveness to the structure
of the city," Cooper said. "We are having conversations right now between their
attorney and our attorney and will move forward."

Council attorney Jim Rossler said the two new departments
should be approved by the council before they are added into the city's amended
budget and Council President Gina Gregory said there can be resolutions added
to next week's agenda to include them. It takes a supermajority of five out of
the seven council members to approve the additions.

Very little discussion or debate about the organizational
chart has occurred in the months since it was first introduced.

"We are having constructive and collaborative conversations
with the City Council right now," Cooper said. "I don't want to say what will
end up happening. That's to be determined. We hear what their concerns are and
we want to address them. We want to put this budget amendment process behind us
and focus on moving Mobile forward."

Paramedic class

Richardson also raised a concern about a $1.4 million cut in
Stimpson's amended budget that essentially postpones a Mobile Fire-Rescue cadet
class and training for paramedics.

"We're dealing with EMS and paramedics," he said. "We are
dealing with saving people's lives. To me, this is crucial."

Finance Director Paul Wesch said the cut is a reflection on
a delay of those classes. He said the $1.4 million cut in the revised budget
reflects about 20 cadets from not taking part of a training class during the
remainder of the fiscal year. The city's fiscal year runs from Oct. 1-Sept. 30.

"I think there is a concern that safety not be compromised,"
Wesch said, noting that he felt those concerns were addressed during last week's
committee meeting in which the revised budget was initially scrutinized by the
council. "Last week, each department head made it clear safety will not be compromised
by these steps we're taking in 2014."

Wesch said that the contracts did not belong within the
police budget and that they were moved into the performance contract category
for more transparency. All three budgeted items were included, for the first
time in the original fiscal year 2014 budget, into the police budget by the
Jones administration.

Wesch also said that other organizations, such as Events
Mobile Inc. – a non-profit organization that raises funds and organizes events
like the MoonPie Over Mobile – will be removed from the city's capital budget in
the fiscal year 2015 budget and included among the other performance contracts.

"When we get to 2015, we hope to be very transparent and
show (the public) what all those performance contracts are," Wesch said.

The city's 2015 budget process will begin next month.

"We are only amending the General Fund at this point," Wesch
said about the 2014 budget revisions. "There are some performance contracts
that lie within the Capital Fund that really don't belong there."

Richardson said he wanted to make sure the switch within the
Boys & Girls Club's budget did not affect the Police Explorers program, which
is part of an ongoing investigation regarding past trips taken out of town.

Wesch and Cooper said the budget amendments will not alter
the program. They said it will be maintained within the Police Department.

Representatives with the Boys and Girls Club and Child
Advocacy Center said they had no problems with having their budgets moved from
the police to performance contracts.

Focus on capital

Daves, who chairs the finance committee, said he is hopeful
that the changes within the 2014 budget will provide opportunity to shore up
capital money for much-needed infrastructure repairs.

Daves said his concerns have been past administrative
practices of funding city operations with capital money.

"You can't keep dipping in that well and taking out
uncommitted funds," he said.

Wesch said that Stimpson is committed in the 2015 budget to commit
capital funds for capital projects such as road repairs, sidewalks, street
lights, drainage programs, etc.

"I know the mayor is committed in 2015 (apply) capital
(funds) for capital (projects)," he said. "How much is that? We'll start the
budget process in April."